Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
"Closeness to Jesus"
May 6, 2020
Peter uses a really interesting picture of the Lord in his letter. He compares God to a nursing mother, feeding her newborn babies in her arms.Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
— 1 Peter 2:2-3, ESV
When my son was born, he weighed a little over five pounds. He had trouble sucking. It took him forever to nurse. He spent several days in intensive care, and then we brought him home.
The next several months are a blur. My son had to nurse every two hours, and it took him a full hour to complete a feeding. That meant that 12 hours out of every 24 he spent feeding. You can imagine how sleep deprived I was!
But we did gain one wonderful gift from all that time spent feeding. To nurse the baby, you have to hold him close to your body. The baby snuggles up in your arms. He is comfortable, safe, and warm—in the arms of someone who loves him very much. I think God intended this. It's one of the reasons He designed the human body the way He did.
In our reading for today, Peter invites us to have the same kind of closeness with Jesus. He urges us to be like newborn babies, crying out for pure spiritual milk. And where does that pure milk come from? It comes from the Lord, the Source of our life. He teaches us what we need to know. But He does more than that. He draws us close to Him, where we can be safe, comforted, and peaceful. He knows that we need this, just as we need to grow in our understanding of Him.
To be sure, we don't always feel a sense of closeness with Jesus. There were times when my son fell asleep in my arms. There were other times when he was preoccupied with something else: a tummy ache, a strange noise, or his daddy waving at him and trying to catch his attention. I was the last thing on his mind at those times. And that's okay! He still got the milk he needed. He still went on growing and getting stronger. He knew that I would be there for him, whether he was focusing on me or not. He knew that I loved him.
And we know that about Jesus, too. There are times when we remember His presence and there are times when we don't. There are times when we feel Him close and there are times when we can't feel anything. That's okay. Jesus is still there, still feeding us, still protecting and caring for us just as He always has been. He will not leave us. After all, He is the One who suffered, died, and rose again to make us children of God. Absolutely He will continue to feed us and help us grow up to full maturity in God's family.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for giving me the spiritual food that I need. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
1. Have you ever fed a baby? How did you hold it, and how did the experience feel?This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo. This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
2. New babies need a lot of care. How does God care for new Christians?
3. What do you do when you cannot feel God's presence? Does it help?
Have you ever fed a baby? How did you hold it, and how did the experience feel?
No comments:
Post a Comment